wasn’t worth getting upset over Chelsea’s opinion, annoying as she was!
“So, you know, Karen . . .” Chelsea continued.
Natalie’s ears pricked up. Chelsea sounded just a tad too casual.
“Yeah?” Karen asked.
“So, now that you’re not wearing that headband ... I guess you wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it?”
Natalie had to stop herself from gasping out loud. So Chelsea had manipulated the whole exchange, trying to make Karen feel bad about the headband, just because she wanted to wear it herself? That was just too, too mean.
Then again, she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. After all, it was typical Chelsea.
Natalie told Alyssa about the conversation she’d overheard on their way to the flag-raising. Alyssa agreed that Chelsea could be awful, but she didn’t think it was really worth saying anything. “I mean, she didn’t do anything to you, right?” Alyssa asked. “So, it’s really not any of your business. Karen might even be upset if she found out you overheard. Like, embarrassed.”
“You’re probably right,” Natalie agreed. “But what a pain Chelsea is.”
Alyssa put a hand on Natalie’s forearm, saying, “Let’s not let her ruin our good time.”
Natalie had to snicker. Standing in front of a flagpole at daybreak in the freezing cold was definitely not what she considered a “good time”!
“Who’s in charge of raising the flag today?” Natalie asked. A different bunk was responsible every morning.
“Three-A,” Alex chimed in authoritatively. Just about everything Alex said or did was authoritative. She was nice enough, but sometimes her gung-ho attitude grated on Natalie. But she knew what her mother would say about that: broader horizons, yadda yadda yadda . . . So she just smiled at Alex and said, “Thanks.”
Meredith Bergmont, a petite blonde who weighed, Natalie guessed, less than a hummingbird, stepped forward. She tugged on the rope-pulley mechanism that raised the flag. In fact, Stephanie was so focused on her job that she didn’t even notice exactly what she was raising—the American flag, yes.
But that wasn’t all.
Meredith finally put the rope down when the first wave of riotous laughter hit the air. She looked up to see all the divisions of Lakeview doubled over, clutching their stomachs with hysteria. Underneath the American flag was a banner that read: “WE SEE LONDON, WE SEE FRANCE. WE SEE 3A’S UNDERPANTS.”
And after that?
Strung on the flagpole and waving proudly in the breeze were twelve pairs of girls’ underwear. More specifically, the girls’ of 3A’s underwear.
Natalie’s jaw dropped. “Oh my gosh! Who did that?” she demanded, turning to Alyssa. But Alyssa was laughing too hard to answer, pausing only to catch her breath and wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.
Looking around, Natalie could tell that Alyssa wasn’t the only one having an extreme reaction. But to her left, three girls looked like they were enjoying the scene just a shade more than everyone else.
Jenna, Grace, and Brynn.
None of the counselors could prove anything, though, and the prank was harmless enough. And so once the panties had been lowered and safely returned to Lizzie, 3A’s most embarrassed counselor, flag-raising proceeded as though there had been no interruption at all.
“So, today we’re going to talk about interviews,” Keith, the newspaper specialist said. Keith hadn’t ever worked on an actual newspaper—just a small computer magazine published in South Jersey—but Natalie liked him just the same. He seemed very enthusiastic, and nothing about the newspaper office was potentially poisonous, alive, or otherwise natural. Therefore, Natalie had decided that newspaper was just about her favorite place to be at Lakeview. That is, when she wasn’t back in the bunk reading magazines while Alyssa sketched. Keith continued, “An interview is a reporter’s opportunity to talk to a famous figure or other
“So, you know, Karen . . .” Chelsea continued.
Natalie’s ears pricked up. Chelsea sounded just a tad too casual.
“Yeah?” Karen asked.
“So, now that you’re not wearing that headband ... I guess you wouldn’t mind if I borrowed it?”
Natalie had to stop herself from gasping out loud. So Chelsea had manipulated the whole exchange, trying to make Karen feel bad about the headband, just because she wanted to wear it herself? That was just too, too mean.
Then again, she wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. After all, it was typical Chelsea.
Natalie told Alyssa about the conversation she’d overheard on their way to the flag-raising. Alyssa agreed that Chelsea could be awful, but she didn’t think it was really worth saying anything. “I mean, she didn’t do anything to you, right?” Alyssa asked. “So, it’s really not any of your business. Karen might even be upset if she found out you overheard. Like, embarrassed.”
“You’re probably right,” Natalie agreed. “But what a pain Chelsea is.”
Alyssa put a hand on Natalie’s forearm, saying, “Let’s not let her ruin our good time.”
Natalie had to snicker. Standing in front of a flagpole at daybreak in the freezing cold was definitely not what she considered a “good time”!
“Who’s in charge of raising the flag today?” Natalie asked. A different bunk was responsible every morning.
“Three-A,” Alex chimed in authoritatively. Just about everything Alex said or did was authoritative. She was nice enough, but sometimes her gung-ho attitude grated on Natalie. But she knew what her mother would say about that: broader horizons, yadda yadda yadda . . . So she just smiled at Alex and said, “Thanks.”
Meredith Bergmont, a petite blonde who weighed, Natalie guessed, less than a hummingbird, stepped forward. She tugged on the rope-pulley mechanism that raised the flag. In fact, Stephanie was so focused on her job that she didn’t even notice exactly what she was raising—the American flag, yes.
But that wasn’t all.
Meredith finally put the rope down when the first wave of riotous laughter hit the air. She looked up to see all the divisions of Lakeview doubled over, clutching their stomachs with hysteria. Underneath the American flag was a banner that read: “WE SEE LONDON, WE SEE FRANCE. WE SEE 3A’S UNDERPANTS.”
And after that?
Strung on the flagpole and waving proudly in the breeze were twelve pairs of girls’ underwear. More specifically, the girls’ of 3A’s underwear.
Natalie’s jaw dropped. “Oh my gosh! Who did that?” she demanded, turning to Alyssa. But Alyssa was laughing too hard to answer, pausing only to catch her breath and wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.
Looking around, Natalie could tell that Alyssa wasn’t the only one having an extreme reaction. But to her left, three girls looked like they were enjoying the scene just a shade more than everyone else.
Jenna, Grace, and Brynn.
None of the counselors could prove anything, though, and the prank was harmless enough. And so once the panties had been lowered and safely returned to Lizzie, 3A’s most embarrassed counselor, flag-raising proceeded as though there had been no interruption at all.
“So, today we’re going to talk about interviews,” Keith, the newspaper specialist said. Keith hadn’t ever worked on an actual newspaper—just a small computer magazine published in South Jersey—but Natalie liked him just the same. He seemed very enthusiastic, and nothing about the newspaper office was potentially poisonous, alive, or otherwise natural. Therefore, Natalie had decided that newspaper was just about her favorite place to be at Lakeview. That is, when she wasn’t back in the bunk reading magazines while Alyssa sketched. Keith continued, “An interview is a reporter’s opportunity to talk to a famous figure or other
Similar Books
